Following a three-day anticipation, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, alongside his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, embarked on their journey to Delhi on Saturday for crucial discussions on seat-sharing with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The trio enters the meeting with high hopes of finalizing a seat-sharing pact with the Home Minister.
With the commencement of the initial phase of the electoral process in five Lok Sabha constituencies within the Vidarbha region, the MahaYuti coalition partners - BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP - are earnestly seeking to formalize the seat-sharing arrangement. Despite the absence of an official agreement, BJP has already declared candidates for 20 constituencies, while Congress has nominated candidates for 7 seats. Although the Shinde faction is yet to make formal announcements regarding candidates, BJP Minister Ravindra Chavan has disclosed the nomination of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s son, Shrikant Shinde, for the Kalyan constituency in Thane district.
Anticipating a significant win in the state, BJP, which has repeatedly asserted that MahaYuti will secure over 45 seats, aims to secure the major portion of the seat-sharing deal, targeting approximately 28 to 34 seats. Conversely, the Shinde faction is adamant about securing 18 seats, or at the very least, retaining 13 seats of the incumbent MPs. Initially eyeing 13 seats, the Ajit Pawar-led faction now seeks 9 seats. Notably, all three parties have expressed interests in at least 10 of the same constituencies.
The contest for Satara is particularly intense, with both NCP and BJP vying for it. Former MP Udayanraje Bhosale, a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji and currently a Rajya Sabha MP, has expressed his intention to contest from Satara, a constituency he previously represented. Concurrently, Mathai labor leader and BJP member Narendra Patil has also signaled his interest in contesting from Satara.
The protracted seat-sharing negotiations have been further complicated by the potential entry of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena into MahaYuti, as the party lays claim to at least 3 seats. Additionally, the Republican Party of India (Athavale) is vigorously pursuing the Shirdi reserved constituency.
Expressing confidence in securing a resounding victory from the Kalyan seat, CM’s son Shrikant Shinde has asserted that the seat-sharing arrangement will be finalized within the next two days.
"Even as the formal announcement of the seat-sharing agreement awaits, the grassroots workers affiliated with MahaYuti partners have already commenced election-related activities across all 48 constituencies," he affirmed.
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